Vehicle latch systems must be strong and secure to prevent unintended opening of vehicle doors during accidents and other unforeseen events. A known design for a vehicle latch system includes a striker mounted on the doorframe and a releasable latch mechanism on the door configured to engage the striker. The striker includes a bracket secured to the vehicle and a steel post supported by the bracket. The steel post is engaged by the latch mechanism when the door is closed.
Securing the post to the bracket can be both difficult and time consuming. Multiple assembly steps can be required to secure the steel post to the bracket, which may be by welding or other material joining process, threaded engagement between the steel post and a threaded boss on the bracket or securing the post with bolts, nuts or other mechanical fasteners.
Further difficulties can be encountered while securing the assembled striker in the automobile. It is known to provide holes in the bracket by which the bracket is secured with bolts to a frame component of the automobile. The bolts are necessarily short and can be lost or dropped easily during the installation process. The installer must position the bracket in the proper place, insert a bolt or other fastener, and operate an appropriate tool to tighten the fastener.
Consequently, a relatively simple part such as the door striker can be relatively expensive to manufacture and costly to install.
What is needed in the art is a vehicle striker that is sturdy and lightweight, easy and economical to manufacture and simple to install.